The competitive advantage of Choice Privileges is the number of hotels in remote locations where road travelers will find no other loyalty program hotels. My recent trek into the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California revealed small towns with options for Choice Hotels, Wyndham Hotels and Best Western where Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn and Courtyard had no presence.

Choice Privileges advertises this recurring promotion as “Stay Twice, Earn a Free Night”, but actually the member earns 8,000 points which are sufficient for a free hotel night at the two lowest tier reward levels of 6,000 and 8,000 points. Two thirds of Choice properties are in the 10,000 to 20,000 points categories.

There are about 1,500 hotels in the 6,100 member hotel chain franchise offering free nights at the 6,000 and 8,000 points level. Loyalty Traveler published a hotel reward category analysis of Choice Privileges on May 1.

This bonus offer is valid for stays from May 19 through August 11, 2011 and only for US and Canada residents. Choice Privileges General members and Gold elite members may earn the bonus up to four times for 32,000 points. Platinum and Diamond elite members may earn this bonus up to 10 times during the promotion period for 80,000 points.

Loyalty Traveler analysis:

Choice Privileges promotions are different from most hotel loyalty promotions in that the total points earned will be 8,000 points after two stays, regardless if your two hotel stays cost $140 or $770. Elite member bonuses are additional points earned to the promotion bonus points.

Example 1: Earning is based on $140 in hotel spend.

Assume one $80 stay at Clarion Hotel and one $60 stay at Comfort Inn = $140 hotel spend.

$140 earns 1,400 Choice Privileges base points. Member will receive 6,600 bonus points for 8,000 total points after two stays.

Example 2: Earning is based on $770 in hotel spend.

Assume one 6-night stay for $420 ($70/night) at MainStay Suites = 2,100 points ($420 x 5 points/$1)

Assume one 5-night stay for $350 ($70/night) at Quality Inn = 3,500 points ($350 x 10 points/$1).

Member earns 5,600 base points from these two stays and receives 2,400 bonus points to reach 8,000 total points for two qualifying stays.

Despite the member staying 11 nights in two stays and spending five times the hotel spend in the second earning example, the total points earned is the same 8,000 points as the member earns who stays two nights at two hotels for $140. This makes Choice Privileges promotions a good hit-and-run deal for the one-night stand Choice Privileges member.

Bottom line: Choice Privileges has the best value promotion for summer travel compared to Wyndham Rewards and Best Western Rewards. My road trips this summer will take me to several places where my only choices are Best Western, Choice and Wyndham or no loyalty program.  I view Choice Privileges as the most rewarding option for best bonus points promotion for this summer’s travel.

Choice Hotels – Choice Privileges

Choice Privileges free night promotion link.

Hotel Brands: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge, Rodeway Inn, Ascend Collection.

Hotel Reward Partners: Preferred Hotels Group, Barcelo Resorts 

Comfort Inn Monterey Bay

Promotion Terms & Conditions: 

Reservations must be made at ChoiceHotels.com or 800.4CHOICE at qualifying rates and Choice Privileges member number must be provided upon check-in. After a second qualifying stay with arrival between 5/19/11 and 8/11/11, you will be awarded enough bonus points to redeem at the 8,000 point Choice Privileges reward night level. For Econo Lodge®, Rodeway Inn®, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel®, or MainStay Suites® hotels, a stay is defined as two (2) or more consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs. For Comfort Inn®, Comfort Suites®, Quality®, Sleep Inn®, Clarion®, Cambria Suites® or Ascend Collection® hotels, a stay is defined as any number of consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs at any property included in the Choice Privileges program. Members that register for this promotion may earn up to four (4) free nights, Platinum and Diamond members that register for this promotion may earn up to ten (10) free nights, and members that do not register for this promotion may earn up to two (2) free nights. Allow 72 hours from check-out for points to post to your account. A free night at most Choice Privileges locations requires more than 8,000 points. You must maintain an address in the U.S. (including U.S. territories) or Canada to be eligible for this promotion. For program details, eligible rates, eligible countries and point redemption rules, visit choiceprivileges.com.

Related Loyalty Traveler post: 100% Bonus Miles for Choice points to United Mileage Plus through June 6.

2,500 Choice points = 1,000 UA miles.

I am developing a new interest for Choice Privileges. Why my interest in Choice Hotels?

Yesterday I located a spreadsheet created by FlyerTalk member “SC Flier” in May 2010. The spreadsheet is one year old now and I am just happy to finally have seen it.  SC Flier is a name I come across frequently on FlyerTalk with good value information and now I learn he has some great computer skills too.

I added country and state columns to allow an easy sort by point levels and geography. Several observations from these sorts give me a much clearer picture of how Choice Hotels compares with other major hotel loyalty programs.

Choice Privileges covers 11 hotel brands with seven hotel brands earning 10 points per $1 in hotel spend, and four budget brands and extended stay brands earning 5 points/$1.

• Ascend Collection
• Comfort Inn
• Comfort Suites
• Quality Inn & Suites
• Clarion
• Cambria Suites
• Sleep Inn
• EconoLodge (earn 5 points/$1)
• Rodeway Inn (earn 5 points/$1)
• Suburban Extended Stay (earn 5 points/$1)
• MainStay Suites Extended Stay (earn 5 points/$1)

Driving from Monterey to Las Vegas for Easter week also opened my eyes to to the fact that the 500 mile drive offers only one Starwood Hotel with Four Points Bakersfield and there are no Hyatt Hotels on this route. IHG, Marriott and Hilton options averaged around $100 or more per night while many of the towns along the way offered Choice Hotels options for under $60 per night.  

Reward Challenges with Choice Privileges

One difficulty with Choice Privileges is the lack of a master list for hotel reward tiers with a list of hotel properties in that tier.

Another anomaly with Choice Privileges is seasonal variation in reward cost.

For example, Choice Privileges Hotels currently show reward cost for April 16 to June 30, 2011 and July 1 to September 15, 2011. The cost of a free night can swing wildly in those two seasons.

Monterey, California EconoLodge is 8,000 points from April 16 to June 30, 2011 and then increases to 20,000 points for July 1-September 15, 2011. Clarion Collection Rendezvous Hotel in Auckland, New Zealand is 40,000 points from April 16 to June 30 and then drops to just 8,000 points from July 1 to September 15, 2011.

The third unique aspect of the Choice Privileges program is short booking windows for hotel rewards using points. Choice Privileges members with no elite status can only book reward nights for U.S. and Canada hotels within 30 days of stay. Hawaii and International hotels allow 60 days advance booking using points. Elite status is valuable for Choice Privileges members traveling U.S. and Canada and planning to use points for reward nights with extended booking windows for Gold elite to 50 days, Platinum elite to 75 days and Diamond elite to 100 days.

Unlikely this will become my primary program, but there is great utility in accumulating Choice Privileges points for locations where there are no Starwood or Hyatt hotels and the rates of Marriott, Hilton, and IHG are twice the cost of a Choice Hotels option.  

Some statistics based on the 2010 reward levels.

I have never seen a distribution of Choice Privileges reward tiers posted anywhere. Analyzing one year old 2010 reward levels in Choice Privileges is useful as a benchmark for what value in points the Choice Privileges hotels had in recent time and see how trends evolve in reward changes for 2011 and beyond.

The only general trend I noticed is many hotels in Canada appeared to increase in reward cost from 2010 to 2011. The Canadian dollar is worth about 6 cents more than the U.S. dollar right now (USD $1 = CAD 94 cents), so an increase in points is an expected adjustment.

Fortunately the rates have not increased across the board for international hotels.

SC Flier spreadsheet shows 5,236 hotels in Choice Portfolio from mid-2010. Here are some numbers derived from hotel sorts using mid-2010 data. I checked about 50 hotels for 2011 Q2 (April 16-June 30, 2011) reward rates and 2011-Q3 (July 1 – September 15, 2011) reward rates. I found mixed results, but most hotels were within 4,000 points of 2010 levels, and about evenly up and down. 

While the distribution of hotels across reward categories may be essentially similar between 2010 and 2011, individual hotel reward rates may be up, down or the same depending on local economic conditions. Check hotel properties individually for current Choice Privileges hotel reward rates. 

Choice Hotels in this analysis = 5,236 hotels worldwide.

• USA = 4,263 hotels in Choice Privileges (81.7% of worldwide total).
• International = 973 hotels in Choice Privileges (18.3% of worldwide total).  

Q2-2010 Choice Privileges reward levels: 

• 30% of hotels were 6,000 or 8,000 points.
• 36% of hotels were 10,000 to 12,000 points.
• 28% of hotels were 16,000 to 20,000 points.
• 6%  of hotels were 25,000 points, 30,000 points or 40,000 points.

Reward Tiers and Number of Properties based on 2010 Q2 (April 16 -June 30, 2010) and Q3 (July 1-September 15, 2010) point levels:  

Choice Privileges had over 1,500 hotels in the lowest tiers for 6,000 points or 8,000 points per night. This can be as little as $100 in spend to earn 8,000 points during Choice Privileges recurring promotion for 8,000 points after two stays. When Choice Privileges offers double points then these low tier rewards take just $300 to $400 in hotel stay spend to earn a free night at any of 1,500+ hotels. 

6,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 624 hotels (11.9%) and Q3-2010 = 471 hotels (9.0%).

• 6,000 Q2 and 6,000 Q3 = 420 hotels
• 6,000 Q2 and 8,000 Q3 = 176 hotels
• 6,000 Q2 and 12,000 Q3 = 4 hotels
• 6,000 Q2 and 16,000 Q3 = 3 hotels
• 6,000 Q2 and 20,000 Q3 = 1 hotel 

8,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 977 hotels (18.7%) and Q3-2010 = 1,187 hotels (22.7%). 

• 8,000 Q2 and 6,000 Q3 = 48 hotels
• 8,000 Q2 and 8,000 Q3 = 759 hotels
• 8,000 Q2 and 10,000 Q3 = 120 hotels
• 8,000 Q2 and 12,000 Q3 = 34 hotels
• 8,000 Q2 and 16,000 Q3 = 11 hotels
• 8,000 Q2 and 20,000 Q3 = 4 hotels
• 8,000 Q2 and 25,000 Q3 = 1 hotel 

10,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 968 hotels (18.5%) and Q3-2010 = 972 hotels (18.6%).

Earning a free night takes $1,000 in hotel spend at 10 base points per dollar for most brands except extended stay brands of MainStay and Suburban and budget brands EconoLodge and Rodeway Inn that earn 5 points/$1 in hotel spend. 

• 10,000 Q2 and 6,000 Q3 = 2 hotels
• 10,000 Q2 and 8,000 Q3 = 213 hotels
• 10,000 Q2 and 10,000 Q3 = 573 hotels
• 10,000 Q2 and 12,000 Q3 = 134 hotels
• 10,000 Q2 and 16,000 Q3 = 27 hotels
• 10,000 Q2 and 20,000 Q3 = 19 hotels

12,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 889 hotels (17.0%) and Q3-2010 = 821 hotels (15.7%).

$1,200 in hotel spend for free night or far less spend when taking advantage of promotion bonus points.

• 12,000 Q2 and 8,000 Q3 = 32 hotels
• 12,000 Q2 and 10,000 Q3 = 224 hotels
• 12,000 Q2 and 12,000 Q3 = 428 hotels
• 12,000 Q2 and 16,000 Q3 = 146 hotels
• 12,000 Q2 and 20,000 Q3 = 55 hotels
• 12,000 Q2 and 25,000 Q3 = 4 hotels

16,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 942 hotels (18.0%) and Q3-2010 = 787 hotels (15.0%).

$1,600 in hotel spend for a free night. This tier has some of the higher quality Choice Hotels properties in the U.S.

• 16,000 Q2 and 8,000 Q3 = 5 hotels
• 16,000 Q2 and 10,000 Q3 = 25 hotels
• 16,000 Q2 and 12,000 Q3 = 203 hotels
• 16,000 Q2 and 16,000 Q3 = 525 hotels
• 16,000 Q2 and 20,000 Q3 = 167 hotels
• 16,000 Q2 and 25,000 Q3 = 17 hotels

20,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 534 hotels (10.2%) and Q3-2010 = 640 hotels (12.2%).

Top tier hotels in U.S. cities and resort locations fall in the 20,000 points to 25,000 points range. These hotels require $2,000 to $2,500 in hotel spend or as little as $300 for an elite during an 8,000 points per two stays promotion that is not limited to one or two bonuses. 

• 20,000 Q2 and 8,000 Q3 = 3 hotels
• 20,000 Q2 and 10,000 Q3 = 5 hotels
• 20,000 Q2 and 12,000 Q3 = 15 hotels
• 20,000 Q2 and 16,000 Q3 = 72 hotels
• 20,000 Q2 and 20,000 Q3 = 377 hotels
• 20,000 Q2 and 25,000 Q3 = 62 hotels

25,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 228 hotels (4.4%) and Q3-2010 = 290 hotels (5.5%).

• 25,000 Q2 and 6,000 Q3 = 1 hotels
• 25,000 Q2 and 8,000 Q3 = 2 hotels
• 25,000 Q2 and 10,000 Q3 = 2 hotels
• 25,000 Q2 and 12,000 Q3 = 3 hotels
• 25,000 Q2 and 16,000 Q3 = 3 hotels
• 25,000 Q2 and 20,000 Q3 = 17 hotels
• 25,000 Q2 and 25,000 Q3 = 199 hotels
• 25,000 Q2 and 30,000 Q3 = 1 hotels

Most hotels 25,000 points and above are located in New York City and international countries. The spreadsheet by SC Flier shows many hotels in Italy at 40,000 points and these hotels were all 6,000 or 8,000 points for Q2 and Q3 reward nights in 2011. Australia and New Zealand comprise most hotels 30,000 points and more. Peak rates are only for select seasons. Many of the 40,000 points hotels in Australia and New Zealand drop to 8,000 points in July and August 2011. 

30,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 49 hotels (0.9%) and Q3-2010 = 41 hotels (0.8%). 

• 30,000 Q2 and 25,000 Q3 = 7 hotels
• 30,000 Q2 and 30,000 Q3 = 40 hotels
• 30,000 Q2 and 40,000 Q3 = 2 hotels 

40,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2011 = 24 hotels (0.5%) and Q3-2010 = 26 hotels (0.5%).

75,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2011 = 1 hotel 

75,000 Q2-2011 and 8,000 Q3-2011 = 1 hotel (Clarion Collection Edgewater Palms, Paihia, New Zealand)

I spent a week in Paihia at Bay of Islands in New Zealand in August 2005 and I thought it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I loved it. I didn’t stay at the Clarion Edgewater Palms, but at 8,000 points per night I’d give it a go.

Bay of Islands, New Zealand (outside Russell, near Paihia)

Choice Privileges spring promotion allows members to earn 8,000 points after two hotel stays between March 3 and May 4, 2011. This promotion also lets members redeem 8,000 points earned after two stays for a free $50 gas card through July 31, 2011. Normally a $50 gas card requires 16,000 Choice Privileges points.

Choice Hotels is currently at 11 hotel brands:

1. Comfort Inn
2. Comfort Suites
3. Quality Inn and Suites
4. Sleep Inn
5. Clarion
6. Cambria Suites
7. Ascend Collection
8. MainStay Suites
9. Suburban
10. EconoLodge
11. Rodeway Inn

There are several fine print details to this offer.

All Choice Hotels brands participate, but stays at EconoLodge and Rodeway Inn economy brands or MainStay Suites and Suburban extended stay brands only qualify for the two-stay 8,000 points with individual stays of two or more consecutive nights. This sort of makes sense since these brands earn points at 50% the rate ( 5 points/$1) of other Choice Hotels brands (10 points/$1).

• Members who do not register for this offer may earn the bonus only one (1) time for one $50 gas card.
• Members who register for this offer may earn the bonus two (2) times for two $50 gas cards.
• Choice Privileges Elite Platinum and Elite Diamond members may earn this bonus up to five (5) times for five $50 gas cards.

Loyalty Traveler analysis:

Choice Privileges promotions are different from most hotel loyalty promotions in that the total points earned will be 8,000 points after two stays, regardless if your two hotel stays cost $140 or $770.

Earning Example 1 is based on $140 in hotel spend.

 Assume one $80 stay at Clarion Hotel and one $60 stay at Comfort Inn = $140.

$140 earns 1,400 Choice Privileges base points. Member will receive 6,600 bonus points for 8,000 total points after two stays.

Earning example 2 is based on $770 in hotel spend.

Assume one $420 6-night stay ($70/night) at MainStay Suites = 2,100 points ($420 x 5 points/$1)

Assume one 5-night stay for $350 at Quality Inn ($70/night) = 3,500 points ($350 x 10 points/$1).

Member earns 5,600 base points from these two stays and receives 2,400 bonus points to reach 8,000 total points for two qualifying stays.

Despite the member staying 11 nights in two stays and spending five times the hotel spend in the second earning example, the total points earned is the same 8,000 points as the member earns who stays two nights at two hotels for $140. This makes Choice Privileges promotions a good hit-and-run deal for the not-so-loyal Choice Privileges member.

Keep the Points or Redeem for Gas Cards

Choice Privileges members may either keep the points or redeem 8,000 points for a $50 gas card. This promotion offers $50 gas cards for half the points. The $50 gas card normally requires 16,000 points. The discounted gas cards are available until July 31, 2011 to members who earned points through this promotion.

You are not required to redeem your points for gas cards. Hotel rewards start at 6,000 points and the Choice Privileges website actually provides a list of hotels at 8,000 points or less. (Is this a new website feature? I do not recall seeing it before.)

You may find better redemption value by using 8,000 points for a free hotel night rather than a $50 gas card.

Choice Gas Card Promotion Registration link.

Choice Privileges has a new member referral offer for 500 points. This deal rewards both the existing Choice Privileges member who makes the referral and the new member who receives 500 bonus points after first hotel stay. That is equivalent to the bonus points for $50 in hotel spend.

I’ll be your referrer, if you want a referral.

If you would like a Choice Privileges referral and 500 bonus points after your first stay, then email me at ricgarridolt@gmail.com and include only your first name.

All I need for this Choice Privileges Refer-a-Friend is your email and first name to include in the form shown below.

Choice Privileges refer-a-friend form

I pledge not to use your email for any other purpose than filling out this form. My ricgarridolt@gmail.com email account is only used for Loyalty Traveler promotions and then I delete all the emails after the promotion ends. Do not use this email for contacting me for any other purpose. You will find my contact email on this page.

Choice Privileges Overview 

When your travel budget does not fit the price segment of Marriott Courtyard and Residence Inn, Hilton Hampton Inn or IHG Holiday Inn Express, then Choice Privileges has a loyalty program with good rewards benefits at a lower price point. And if price is your main factor you should look right past Starwood and Hyatt Hotels with limited low cost hotels for weekday business travel.

One of my favorite features of Choice Privileges is its partner awards with Preferred Hotels Group and Barcelo Resorts. These can be high value reward stays at relatively low cost through Choice Privileges. A recently ended promotion offered 50% off reward nights using Choice Privileges points for Preferred Hotels Group stays. These upper-upscale and luxury hotels around the world are sometimes an incredible Choice Privileges points bargain.

Barcelo Resorts offers all-inclusive Mexico and Caribbean hotel stays at relatively few points for what you get. Dreams of an all-you-can-eat-and-drink beach vacation may fill your head as you fall asleep at the next Comfort Inn.

That is what I am dreaming as I write this post and think of the possibility of a couple hundred referrals. Although I must admit that 500 points incentive is not as desirable as last year’s offer on Loyalty Traveler for instant SPG Gold promotion with my referral. I still receive a request every week for a referral 11 months after that SPG deal ended.

Choice Privileges hotel brands with number of hotels and average daily rate

(Source: Choice Hotels 10Q Sep 30, 2010)

Choice Hotels brands and average room rates

Travelers will stay for less at Choice Hotels with an overall chain average hotel rate of $74.79. That is only 2 cents more than the ADR from September 2009.

Choice Privileges is currently running a triple points promotion. Here is data from my Loyalty Traveler blog Current Promotions page. Another great feature of Choice Privileges is elite stay credit for award stays. Choice Privileges and Hilton HHonors are the only two loyalty programs for earning elite credit when spending points for free nights.

Choice Hotels – Choice Privileges

Hotel Brands: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge, Rodeway Inn, Ascend Collection.

Hotel Reward Partners: Preferred Hotels Group, Barcelo Resorts  

* Jan 6 – March 2, 2011: Choice Hotels Triple Points beginning with second stay for online bookings or phone direct bookings at 800-4CHOICE (800-424-6423). Offer only eligible for USA members. Platinum and Diamond elite members earn an additional 500 bonus points per stay. General and Gold elite members earn double points for stays booked through third-party sites. Registration required.

Loyalty Traveler post 1-4-11.  

* Choice Privileges Program Changes for Elite Members effective January 1, 2011:

These are truly program enhancements for elites. 

Platinum elite qualification = 20 nights in a calendar year (formerly 25 nights).

Diamond elite bonus increased to 50% base points (formerly 40%).

        Reward night booking window extended for Choice Privileges elite members:

• Gold = 50 days (formerly 40 days)
• Platinum = 75 days (formerly 60 days)
• Diamond = 100 days (formerly 90 days) 

* Dec 1, 2010 – February 28, 2011: Choice Privileges offers Air Berlin TopBonus Double Miles

Preferred Hotels Group Reward Nights up to 50% off. Upper-upscale, luxury and boutique hotel room nights 20,000 to 30,000 points. Book between November 3, 2010 and January 19, 2011. (5-key promotion). This offer has ended, but this seems like a nearly annual promotion at some point during the year.

Related Post: Choice Hotels for Economy Rates, Choice Privileges for Luxury Hotels (July 14, 2009)

Choice Privileges offers triple points beginning with the second stay between January 6 and March 2, 2011. There is an additional 500 points per stay bonus beginning with second stay for Choice Privileges Platinum and Diamond members who register here.

Choice Privileges calls this their “spring” offer. Choice Hotels must be working off the global warming calendar if spring is now considered January and February in the USA?

By the way this offer is only valid for members with a USA address.

Eligible Dates: Jan 6, 2011 – March 2, 2011

Book at ChoiceHotels.com or by phone at 800-4CHOICE and earn triple points beginning with second stay.

Choice Privileges Platinum and Diamond members earn an additional 500 points per stay, beginning with second stay. Registration required.

The unique aspect of this offer is the ability for Choice Privileges general members and Gold Elite to earn double points for stays booked through other channels like Expedia, Travelocity and such.

I find it a curious target group for general members and gold elite, but not including Choice Privileges Platinum and Diamond elite members for the third-party booking bonus. Registration is required before your stay to earn double points with third-party bookings.

Choice Privileges Triple Points 2011-Q1 "Spring" Promotion

Most Choice Privileges hotel brands earn 10 points per dollar. Triple points is 30 points per dollar at these brands:

• Comfort Inn
• Comfort Suites
• Quality Inn
• Sleep Inn
• Clarion
• Cambria Suites
• Ascend Collection

5 points per dollar are earned for stays at these brands:

• MainStay Suites
• Suburban
• EconoLodge
• Rodeway Inn

Triple points is 15 points/$1 at these four hotel brands.

I will spare readers a base points equivalent value analysis for this offer. The redemption opportunity to remember with Choice Privileges is partner hotel rewards for Preferred Hotels Group and Barcelo Resort stays.

The Economy/Budget segment of the hotel market scale is sometimes where the price of a hotel room forces your hand. These are brands with average daily rates usually under $75 per night and generally in the $40 to $65 range in most locations. Do you really want to spend $200 to stay in a nice airport hotel when you can have that bed for six hours of sleep at a $40 to $65 rate before you hop back on the plane?

These JD Power economy-budget brand circle ratings are quite useful to me for helping choose a budget hotel brand. I honestly can’t remember the last time I stayed in one of the eleven brands listed in the JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study for the Economy/Budget segment.

When I drove cross-country three times in the 1990s I am sure I visited several of these brands. Those road trips in the 90s were one of the motivators for getting into loyalty travel as a means to better hotel stays.

Sources: JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study press release

                JD Power 2010 Economy/Budget Hotel Market Segment Full Report

Loyalty traveler commentary:

The economy/budget segment of hotels is dominated by Wyndham Rewards and Choice Privileges.

Wyndham Rewards is the major economy/budget segment hotel loyalty program with six of the eleven JD Power rated brands of Microtel Inns and Suites, Howard Johnson Express, Super 8, Days Inn, Travelodge and Knights Inn. One of the better features of Wyndham Rewards is the good points-to-miles exchange rate for converting Wyndham Rewards points into airline miles.

EconoLodge and Rodeway Inn are hotel brands participating in Choice Privileges. The primary disadvantage with these budget brands is a 50% reduction in points earned for stays. Most Choice Privileges hotel brands earn 10 points per $1, but only 5 points per $1 is earned with EconoLodge and Rodeway Inns. Wyndham Rewards earns 10 points per $1 for all its economy/budget brands.

Red Roof Inn and Americas Best Value Inn are independent chains with their own loyalty programs.

Motel 6 is the ugly stepchild of French-based Accor Hotels. Motel 6 currently has a limited time offer participating in Accor’s A-Club hotel loyalty program for the opportunity to redeem 2,000 A-Club points for $60 cash vouchers valid at North America Motel 6 properties through October 31, 2010. In general, Motel 6 and Accor’s European budget brand hotels do not participate in the Accor A-Club hotel loyalty program.

Hotel Brands ordered by Number of Hotels in North America

Super 8 Motel (Wyndham Rewards) = 2,137 hotels; mostly in North America, although growing rapidly in China. (ADR = $56.67) Super 8 is the largest economy hotel brand in North America. Free breakfast, free internet and loyalty points or miles are added benefits of this JD Power three circle rated brand.

Days Inn (Wyndham Rewards) = 1,858 global properties (ADR $62.24). Properties offer free internet and most offer a complimentary breakfast and swimming pool.

Motel 6 (Accor A-Club limited participation) = 1,000+ properties in North America. Motel 6 locations.

Americas Best Value Inn (Value Club) = 900 hotels in North America. Hotel locations search. Hotel Directory. Americas Best Value Inn hotel loyalty program – Value Club does not appear to be a points-based program, but rather a value-added on stays program which is common to luxury and independent upscale market brands. Value Club rates give a 15% room discount to members and an opportunity for a complimentary upgrade and late checkout.

EconoLodge (Choice Privileges) = 785 hotels (2010 ADR $51.21). Free wi-fi, continental breakfast and USA Today on weekdays.

Howard Johnson Inns and Express Inns (Wyndham Rewards) = 500+ hotels globally. (ADR = $61.22) Howard Johnson Hotels and Inns operate in three different market segments with some properties in the midscale and some in the economy segment in North America. Internationally in Asia and Latin America the brand tends to be positioned in the midscale to upscale market. I was unable to locate a breakdown of this brand by market segment.

Howard Johnson Hotels USA Directory (pdf)

Howard Johnson Hotels Canada Directory (pdf)

Travelodge (Wyndham Rewards) = 460 hotels in North America. The brand is mostly an economy segment hotel in the U.S. but midscale with food and beverage market segment for hotels in Canada.

Rodeway Inn (Choice Privileges) = 381 hotels (2010 ADR $47.06). Free local calls, continental breakfast, and morning newspaper on weekdays.

Red Roof Inn (RediCard Rewards program) = 345 hotels in  36 states. This brand has slight familiarity due to its promotion earlier this year for 1 cent room rates. Red Roof Inn locations.

Knights Inn (Wyndham Rewards) = 340 hotels in North America. This chain falls squarely in the budget hotel market segment with an average daily rate at $42.46, significantly below the other Wyndham Rewards hotel brands. You apparently get what you pay for with a JD Power hotel guest satisfaction rating of two circles and ranked last on the economy/budget hotel segment report.

Microtel Inns and Suites (Wyndham Rewards) = 320 hotels in North America. (ADR = $56.72) This brand has won the JD Power Hotel Guest Satisfaction Award for Economy/Budget brands 9 years in a row, achieving the only JD Power 5 circle rating for an economy/budget hotel brand in the 2010 study. Microtel Inns founded in 1989 are newly constructed properties rather than rebranded hotels which may account for the overall high satisfaction with the brand.

The Microtel brand was purchased by Wyndham in July 2008. A Microtel Inn promotion is currently in play to celebrate the JD Power achievement. Book a Microtel Inn room between August 9 and September 12 and you could win a free night, a $25 Visa gift card or a $50 Visa gift card. Nine prizes in each category for 27 prizes each week to be awarded.

Microtel promotion link and more details of the promotion can be found in this August 9 press release.

Data sources:

Wyndham Hotels property numbers and ADR data taken from this Wyndham Hotels 2009 10K Report.

Choice Privileges data taken from Choice Hotels 2010 Q2 June 30 financial results.

Related Loyalty Traveler posts on JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study

Overview JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study (Aug 10)

Comments on JD Power 2010 Luxury Hotel Satisfaction Index (Aug 11)

Comments on JD Power 2010 Upscale Hotel Satisfaction Index (Aug 11)

Comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Full Service Hotel Satisfaction Index (Aug 13)

Comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Limited Service Hotels Satisfaction Index (Aug 15)

Comments on JD Power 2010 Extended Stay Hotels Satisfaction Index (Aug 17)

Choice Privileges has made a significant change to its hotel loyalty program for 2010 with the inclusion of reward nights as elite qualifying nights for membership status. Hilton HHonors has counted reward nights for elite membership qualification for years and now Choice Privileges is another hotel loyalty program offering elite qualification nights for hotel stays using points.

For the traveler who desires lower average room rates on paid stays and wants additional elite credit for reward nights, this is great news for Choice Privileges members. Reward nights just might be the difference you need to move up an elite level.

The primary benefit of a higher elite status in Choice Privileges is the extended advance booking window for reward nights. One of the restrictive limitations of Choice Privileges is the short booking window using points for hotels in the USA. General members residing in the US may only use Choice Privileges points for a hotel in the US within 30 days of the hotel stay. The booking window is extended to 60 days for free night bookings at international properties.

Choice Privileges Gold members can book up to 40 days in advance and Platinum members up to 60 days in advance for US hotel stays. There is no advantage for international reward bookings since General members, Gold elite, and Platinum elite can all book up to 60 days in advance for hotels outside the USA.

Only the highest elite level diamond members of Choice Privileges have a longer advance booking window of 90 days for using points. Diamond elite requires 40 nights in a calendar year. Diamond is the elite goal for Choice Privileges members seeking improved access to reward nights as this membership level gives the Diamond elite an additional 30 days for exclusive reward inventory among the nearly 10 million Choice Privileges hotel loyalty program members.

Choice Privileges Reward Nights Count for Elite Qualification

http://www.choicehotels.com/ires/en-US/html/GPEliteMembership

Choice Privileges Offers a Luxury Side

Hilton HHonors loses another hotel loyalty program exclusive advantage, although Choice Privileges is a different market segment of travelers and will likely have limited impact on luring Hilton HHonors members from the fold.

The eleven hotel brands of Choice Privileges may cater to the budget and mid-market hotel traveler, but there are many free night redemption options for luxury hotels with hotel partners in the Preferred Hotel Group for 30,000; 45,000; or 60,000 points per night. (link to Choice Privileges Preferred Hotel Group partner hotels)

Barcelo Resorts in Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic are one of the best values for free nights using Choice Privileges points with rates starting at 10,000 points in off-season (8.5 months of the year) or 16,000 points per night in high season (Dec 19, 2009-April 1, 2010).

Choice Privileges Barcelo Hotels link: http://www.barcelo.com/BarceloHotels/en-GB/Choice/Barcelo-Choice

Military Members Receive Instant Elite Status in Choice Privileges

Choice Privileges Armed Services program offers complimentary Gold elite membership to active duty or reserve military members, retired military, National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, and eligible spouses and dependants. Link to Choice Privileges Armed Services program.

Choice Privileges Hotel Brands

• Cambria Suites

• Clarion

• Quality Inn

• Comfort Suites

• Comfort Inn

• Sleep Inn

• MainStay Suites

• Suburban

• Econo Lodge

• Rodeway Inn

• Ascend Collection

Related Loyalty Traveler posts:

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2009/07/14/choice-hotels-for-economy-rates-choice-privileges-for-luxury-hotels/

2009 Choice Hotels Brands: http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2009/07/13/choice-hotels-international-profile-by-numbers/

Choice Hotels has launched their winter promotion for triple points or miles beginning with your second stay for stays with arrival date from December 10, 2009 to February 28, 2010. The promotion gives members 30 points per US$1 on hotel room rate spending. My analysis shows there is good value in using this promotion to earn Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards credits.

You must maintain a U.S. (including U.S. territories) address to earn Choice Privileges® points with this promotion.

Triple Points or Miles promotion registration also enters you into a Hawaii sweepstakes for a 6 night Choice Hotels vacation and $2,000 cash to buy your airfare ($3,800 prize value).

Choice Privileges Triple Points or Miles Registration page link.

Choice Hotels is the second largest hotel chain in the world with over 5,000 properties globally. (Wyndham Hotel Group is #1). Choice Hotels is a franchise hotel organization.

Earning points is possible in these locations:

• U.S.,

• Canada

• Mexico

• Caribbean

• Europe (excluding Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden)

• Australasia (including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Papua New Guinea and Fiji).

A quick check of new hotel openings reveals new properties in Japan, India, and Brazil. According to the earning terms these hotels appear to be nonparticipants for earning points.

Earning Points in Choice Privileges

Choice Hotels Privileges members earn 10 points per $US1 for room rate charge only at these Choice Hotels brands.

• Comfort Inn

• Comfort Suites

• Quality

• Sleep Inn

• Clarion

• Ascend Collection

• Cambria Suites

In Australasia (including Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji), you earn 10 points for each whole U.S. dollar. Eligible charges include: accommodation, tax, restaurant, bar charges, laundry and phone calls.

Choice Hotels Privileges members in U.S. and Canada earn 5 points per $US1 for room rate charges, excluding tax, restaurant, and other incidental charges at these Choice Hotels brands:

• MainStay Suites

• Suburban Extended Stay Hotel,

• Econo Lodge 

• Rodeway Inn

You must choose either Choice Privileges points or Airline Rewards for this triple points or triple miles promotion offer and notify the hotel of your preference upon check-in.

Earning Miles with Triple Airline Miles Promotion is Valid with these Airline Partners

250 miles per stay (750 miles with triple miles promotion)

• Air Canada Aeroplan,

• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan,

• American Airlines AAdvantage,

• Continental Airlines OnePass,

• Czech Airlines OK Plus,

• Delta SkyMiles,

• MexicanaGO,

• Spirit Airlines FREE SPIRIT,

• United Mileage Plus or

• US Airways Dividend Miles

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards is the best earning value during this promotion

Choice Privileges members normally earn 0.5 credits with Southwest Airlines per stay, but will receive 1.5 credits with triple miles promotion.

A free flight on Southwest requires 16 credits (11 Choice brand hotel stays by February 28, 2010 with 3x miles promotion).

Consider that a $55 per night average room rate or $605 in hotel stays can result in a free $250 Southwest airline ticket. Southwest Airlines frequent flier credit is clearly a good value for return on your investment in Choice Hotels.

Comparison of Choice Privileges Points Earning to Southwest Airlines credits

$600 in hotel spending will earn 18,000 points with the 3x points earning preference. Free hotel nights range from 6,000 points to 35,000 points with Choice Privileges. 18,000 points will likely earn a free night at a mid-level hotel for perhaps a $100 value. A free cross-country Southwest airline ticket can have a $200 to $300 value.

Choice offers points-to-miles exchange with Southwest at the ratio of 6,000 points = 1.5 credits. This is only 4.5 Southwest credits with a points-to-miles exchange of 18,000 points.

The 3x miles promotion earns 16.5 Southwest flight credits on 11 stays costing around $600 for economy brand hotels. A member with numerous low cost stays will probably get higher value from earning Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards credit compared to points.

Choice Privileges is the best program during this promotion for earning Southwest credits in comparison to other hotel loyalty programs after Hyatt Gold Passport’s promotion ends December 31, 2009.

16 Southwest credits from 11 Choice Hotel stays is equivalent to:

Hyatt Gold Passport = Earn: 0.5 credit per stay normally, but currently can earn 2.5 additional bonus credits after every two nights, up to 25 bonus credits through December 31, 2009. 12 nights at Hyatt Hotel brands by December 31 will earn 18 Southwest credits. Burn: 40,000 points = 16 credits.

Marriott Rewards = Earn: 0.5 credit per stay; Burn: 70,000 points for 16 credits

IHG Priority Club = Earn: 0.5 credit per stay; Burn: 80,000 points for 16 credits

Hilton HHonors = Earn: 0.5 credit per stay; Burn: 160,000 points for 16 credits

Choice Hotels Triple Miles Promotion is a good value for Southwest Airlines flyers.

The Choice Privileges commercial on TV caught my attention. The details tell the real story.

The Advertised Offer: Stay 3 nights at the same hotel with arrival between August 21 and November 19. Earn enough points to redeem for a free night at over 1,500 Choice Hotels. (Promotion link)

The limitations of this offer: The fine print states points will be added to your account after a qualifying 3-night or longer stay to reach the 8,000 point reward level. There are 1,500 hotels with reward nights at the 8,000 points level.

Only one award will be earned per hotel stay. In other words, a 6-night stay will only earn 8,000 points.

The 8,000 points bonus may be earned multiple times for separate eligible stays during the promotion period.

Choice Hotels is the second largest global hotel chain by number of hotels with about 5,900 hotels. This promotion allows a Choice Privileges member to earn sufficient points for a free night in the bottom 25% of properties in the hotel chain after staying at least three nights in a Choice brand hotel.  

Choice Hotel brands in order by number of hotels are Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Econolodge, Comfort Suites, Clarion, Sleep Inn, Rodeway Inn, Suburban, MainStay Suites, Ascend Collection, and Cambria Suites.

Loyalty Traveler analysis:

Points are normally earned at the rate of 10 points per $1 in hotel spending for most Choice brands. Only 5 points per $1 are earned for MainStay Suites, Suburban, Rodeway Inn, or EconoLodge.

Last month Loyalty Traveler posted a profile of the Choice Hotels chain. This post also referenced Choice Privileges summer promotion that ended last month for 14,000 points with 3 hotel stays. The previous Choice Privileges promotion allowed a member to earn 14,000 points with just 3 one-night separate hotel stays. The current offer may be easier to earn for some members, but is less valuable.

Comfort Inn had an average daily rate of $74 in the US according to 2009 first quarter financial data for Choice Hotels.

Assume a 3 night stay is $225 at a Comfort Inn. This stay would regularly earn 2,250 Choice Privileges points. The current promotion will result in an additional 5,750 points being added to your account to total 8,000 points for the stay.

Assume a 3-night stay at a Suburban brand with an average daily rate of $41. A 3-night stay would regularly earn just 615 points. This promotion adds 7,385 points to your account. That is one hefty bonus opportunity.

This looks to be a good offer on the surface.

The question is what can you do with 8,000 points?

The Choice Privileges promotion advertisement states 8,000 points can be used for a free night at over 1,500 hotels. What the ad does not mention is the points required for a Choice Privileges free night is variable depending on the season.

Example: Econolodge Inn & Suites, Novato, California (hotel link)

The Econolodge Novato is one of the 1,500 Choice hotels available for 8,000 points, however, a free night is only available for 8,000 points from September 16 to November 30. A free night from now through September 15 and from December 1 to January 31, 2010 will cost 10,000 points.

8,000 points is a bonus, albeit a severely limited bonus in a program where a free night will cost between 6,000 and 35,000 points (and up to 75,000 in Australia).

You can only book a free night up to 30 days in advance of your stay without being an elite Choice Privileges member.

This is a 2-key hotel loyalty promotion. Keep Choice Privileges in mind if you need a 3-night hotel stay and the property is an acceptable choice for your hotel stay.

Quality Inn Monterey

1058 Munras Avenue

Monterey, California

Jul 1, 2009 – Sep 15, 2009:               20,000 points

Sep 16, 2009 – Nov 30, 2009           16,000 points

Dec 1, 2009 – Jan 31, 2010:              10,000 points

Choice Hotels sparked my attention this week after a closer look at the benefits and value of the Choice Privileges hotel loyalty program.  In my August column for Inside Flyer I rank some summer hotel loyalty promotions. I rated the Choice Privileges $50 gift card for three Hotel Stays a 2 of 5 hotel keys.

My gut feeling was a loyalty member would receive better value using 14,000 Choice Privileges points for a hotel stay rather than a $50 gift card. Now I have some data to back up this claim and I will share what I think is a good strategy for earning and spending with Choice Privileges points.

Choice Hotels Summer Promotion – 3 Stays Earn 14,000 points

Offer: Earn 14,000 points after 3 separate stays in Choice Hotels between May 21 and August 13. Only the Choice Hotels brands of Clarion, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Cambria Suites, Ascend Collection, and Quality Inn are participating in this promotion. Restricted to residents of the US and US territories.

There is a separate promotion offering double points for stays at Econolodge, Rodeway Inn, Suburban, and MainStay Suites for residents of the US and Canada.

14,000 Points after 3 stays Promotion Link:

http://www.choicehotels.com/summerpromotionmidscale

Double Points Promotion Link:

http://www.choicehotels.com/summerpromotion

These offers do not require registration.

The 14,000 points offer is promoted as:

“ Stay 3 separate times. Earn a free $50 cash card! “

The fine print states, “After every third qualifying stay between 5/21/09 and 8/13/09, enough points will be added to points earned to reach the 14,000 point level, which can be redeemed for a prepaid $50 cash card.”

This Choice Privileges promotion works differently from most hotel loyalty promotions offering a set amount of bonus points. The promotion wording here is “enough points will be added to reach the 14,000 points level”.

Here is an example to show the disparity this promotion can have for different types of Choice Privileges frequent guests.

Brad is a business traveler who stayed in a Quality Inn on Monday through Thursday night for three weeks while taking a computer training course.   Brad spent $1,000 on three separate 4-night stays. He has no elite status and earned the regular 10 points per $1 in hotel spending (tax excluded from points earning).  Brad earned 10,000 base points from hotel spending and only 4,000 bonus points from the Summer 3 Stays promotion. Brad earned 14,000 Choice Privileges points after 12 nights and $1,000 in hotel spending.

Jean is a leisure traveler who drove from Los Angeles to Seattle to visit her sister. Jean spent $150 for three separate 1-night stays in two Comfort Inns and a Quality Inn.  Jean earned 1,500 base points for her hotel spending and 12,500 points for the Summer 3 Stays promotion. Jean earned 14,000 Choice Privileges points after 3 nights and $150 in hotel spending.

Strategy Talk – Redeeming Choice Privileges points for Upscale Hotels

I keep in mind the potential value of earned hotel points when planning hotel stays. I generally have a plan for using the hotel points I will earn. The past decade has taught me one thing is for sure in the hotel loyalty world – Sit on your points too long and they will buy less.

Barcelo All-Inclusive Resorts

Choice Privileges has a points spending opportunity with hotel partner Barcelo for hotel nights at several of that hotel chain’s all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Stays during low-season are only 10,000 points per night plus $35 per adult per day for all-inclusive program which includes meals and drinks, including alcohol. Low season runs until December 18, 2009 and resumes on April 2, 2010. High season redemption rate is 16,000 points for stays December 19, 2009 to April 1, 2010.

There are good opportunities to leverage the value of your 14,000 points after 3 stays for much better value than $50.

Barcelo Properties Available with Choice Privileges points:

Mexico

            Barcelo Ixtapa Beach, Ixtapa

            Barcelo Huatulco Beach, Huatulco

            Barcelo Tucancun Beach, Cancun

            $150.00US per night for Dec 1-5, 2009, Superior room

            Barcelo Costa Cancun

            Barcelo La Jolla de Mismaloya, Puerto Vallarta

            $160.00US/night for Dec 1-5, 2009, Junior Suite Sea View

            Barcelo Karmina Palace, Manzanillo

            Barcelo Maya Beach, Mayan Riviera

            Barcelo Maya Caribe Beach, Mayan Riviera

Dominican Republic

            Barcelo Dominican Beach, Punta Cana

            Barcelo Puerto Plata

            Barcelo Punta Cana Beach Resort

            Barcelo Bavaro Palace, Punta Cana

            $148 per night, Dec 1-5, 2009, superior room          

$308 per night, Jan 24-29, 2010, superior room

Costa Rica

            Barcelo Tambor Beach, Playa Tambor

            Barcelo Langosta Beach, Tamarindo 

$149.40/night Mon-Thur, Nov 30-Dec 4, 2009

$277.20 per night, Jan 24-29, 2010

Nicaragua      

Barcelo Montelimar Beach, Playa Montelimar

Link: http://www.barcelo.com/BarceloHotels/en-GB/Choice/Barcelo-Choice

The high winter rates offer a much higher value for points redemption at 16,000 points per night during high season. The per day cost of all-inclusive food and beverage remains the same $35 per adult or $25 for children under 12. An extra 6,000 points per night buys a whole lot more value during the high season.

And you can always try to upgrade your room type before your stay. Extra cash goes a long way these days at hotel properties struggling for occupants.

I stayed at a Barcelo all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic during my last mileage run segment for the LatinPass 1,000,000 miles promotion back in June 2000. I traveled alone and drank too much and was lured into too many sports activities by the resort activity directors. I remember swallowing lots of water and feeling like I was going to drown competing in pool games with some Hungarian woman on my shoulders. Kelley had no sympathy for me when I called her up to say I’d lost my bank atm card.

Preferred Hotel Group:

Choice Privileges also partners with the Preferred Hotel Group for points spending opportunities with over 300 independent upper-upscale and luxury hotel properties around the globe.

There are three categories of hotel redemptions for these high-end properties at 30,000 points, 45,000 points, or 60,000 points per night.

Choice points can be redeemed for a free night at the Carlton New York or the Alchymist Grand Hotel, Prague, CZ for 60,000 points. Daily rates run about $275 per night in September.

http://www.phgoffers.com/searchResults.aspx?id=134

There are numerous high value redemption opportunities with Preferred Hotels Group for better value from Choice Privileges points spending than a member will typically receive using points for free nights at most Choice Hotels or $50 gift cards.

Kelley at Alchymist Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic (2007)

 Average Rates at Choice Hotel brands